2/7/13

Today I observed at the middle school. I was supposed to observe 3 students but after some time, it was determined that one student needed to use his O&M time to take a school test. Finally the instructor was able to begin a lesson with 2 students simultaneously. Although the students were at different levels of vision the lesson still seemed to work fine. One student was low vision (student A) and the other had only some light perception left due to Batten's disease (student B). The lesson included a trip to a local convenience store near the school where the boys could purchase a snack with money they had earned in class. The instructor prepped the boys by explaining the lesson and then we began. We left the school with student B walking next to the instructor and student A walking next to myself. Student A had more usable vision so he was able to walk faster and was able to identify landmarks such as the bicycle racks in front of the school the visitor parking lot. Student B  walked at a much slower pace because of his loss of vision and physical capabilities. Student B also had difficulties with memory recall which the instructor showed a great deal of patience and empathy with. She would give him gentle reminders to prompt his memory.  As we left the school the instructor asked questions such as " what is the address of the school", "what is the nearest intersection to the school",  when leaving the school what direction are we facing" and "what corner is the convenience store located on". Student B took the lead heading toward the convenience store. Once leaving the school the students turned left heading south toward US Hwy 92. We headed south to the main intersection. student B located the light signal and pushed the button for the change. The instructor reminded the boys when it is safe to cross and for them to tell her when they felt it was safe to cross. Student B indicated when he felt comfortable to cross and the instructor agreed. We crossed the street and located the store on the south west corner of the intersection. Inside the store the boys located the snacks they wanted to purchase and independently paid for them. We left the store reversing the same route we used to arrive at the store. Once back at the school the instructor asked if they had any questions or challenges about the lesson. Both boys felt good about the lesson and had no questions.

2/6/13

Today I observed the instructor working with the high school student. The student lived only a few blocks from the school.  The student graduates this May and hopes to gain employment at a nearby Walmart that is only a few blocks south of her home. The objective of todays's lesson was to use determine a route that was best for the student to walk from her home to the Walmart. We began at the student's home. The instructor asked her to identify landmarks and clues on the route as we walked as well as give cardinal directions. After leaving her house the student was able to identify neighbor's home on her street and identify when at the end of her street that it was a T-intersection. We made a right turn heading west and she was able to locate the sidewalk after a brief break. When coming to the next crossing  the sidewalk- it was an entrance into a subdivision, the student had some difficulty identifying the curb. The curb was rounded, slanted incline, and covered in stones with a telephone centered in the middle so  i can see how it would be difficult. The instructor addressed the issues of the corner with the student and we continued the route. The next corner was a lighted 4 way intersection with crosswalk signal. They also had truncated curbs for easier detection. The student had obviously traveled through the intersection before because she was comfortable and seemed to know it well. The instructor commented that they have traveled the route in past lessons. The student pushed the indicator for the light change and the instructor reminded her to wait for when she was comfortable and ready. As we were waiting, a voice comes from a taxi cab in the turn lane caddy corner to us screaming " don't go yet!  I can tell you when it is safe!". It was hilarious! The light changed and the student traveled safely through the intersection. We continued heading south on the sidewalk passing driveways into the ballpark and a church. The final intersection we came to was a very busy, large 4 way intersection. The student pushed the necessary light change signal and crossed when she felt safe and comfortable. Unfortunately, drivers traveling from her right turning north were not patient nor did they wait. The instructor had to stop her once she got the middle of the intersection because of the crazy drivers! Once she made it across safely through the entire intersection she was able to continue to her destination of the Walmart with little assistance. The instructor then reviewed the lesson asking the student what she felt were her biggest challenges. She replied- she felt very uncomfortable at the last crossing and thought it would be better to try an alternate route. We all agreed and came up with alternate routes to try in future lessons. During this lesson the student was able to independently identify landmarks such as the ballpark, dog park, church and elementary school on the route. The only suggestion the instructor made to the student was to remember to take time when traveling and possibly slow down so she can use her auditory clues to assist her.